


The Cyclone Café

by arithmadick2_0 (orphan_account), AwkwardBento, CassidyChase36, Livinmas, preludesandreflections



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-06-09
Packaged: 2018-03-14 15:11:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3415394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/arithmadick2_0, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwkwardBento/pseuds/AwkwardBento, https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassidyChase36/pseuds/CassidyChase36, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Livinmas/pseuds/Livinmas, https://archiveofourown.org/users/preludesandreflections/pseuds/preludesandreflections
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cabe owns a coffee shop and employs a team of misfits. It only starts to make sense when Paige, a customer relations manager, arrives to smooth out the kinks.</p><p>A collaborative project by the Quintis Support Group.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Neither Scorpion nor characters nor affiliated products belong to us. This is a work of fiction and no profit is being made. We do not give permission for this, or any other of my fanworks, to be cross-posted, shared with/sent to/read by anyone associated with the show, including but not limited to the cast and crew, as well as any public forum or media outlet.
> 
> Updates will be every Sunday.

Like most things, it starts with a bang.

Everybody jumps and the coffee shop falls silent as everyone turns to look at Toby, soaking wet and standing in front of a smoking coffee machine, watching boiling milk drip from the ceiling.

The shop is eerily still.

“What the hell did you do?” Happy growls and then there is movement in the shop again.

Several customers move to grab their things and make for a hasty exit, leaving their drinks behind and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that they’re probably not going to be coming back.

Their regulars, the customers used to the chaos, merely turn back to their drinks, screens, and conversations, as if there had never been an interruption.

Happy shoves Toby out of the way and rips off the front panel of the machine to inspect the damage. It’s not a pretty sight and she glares at Toby. She moves to maybe hit him, but before she can, Walter is there.

“Happy,” he warns as he steps in front of Toby, like that could protect him right now. “Be logical, it’s n-”

“Screw logic,” she cries, and it says something about the daily routines of the shop that the regulars no longer flinch at the thinly veiled fury of her tone. “I just finished fixing this damn thing three days ago!”

Toby lets out an incredulous laugh.

“Fixing? Your modifications made it impossible to use! Who needs _five_ separate settings to make _one_ latte?”

Happy lunges for him, but is caught around the waist by Walter and something of a brawl erupts. Walter takes an elbow to the stomach and a foot crushed down onto his before Happy can finally get her hands on Toby. This, however, happens to turn a few heads of the people who are newer regulars.  She rushes at him, throws a punch in his face and the bubbling in her veins settles a little as the pained groan he makes as he goes down.

“Ow, my frontal lobe!”

She rears her fist back to hit him again but there’s another bang behind her and a booming voice throughout the shop, cutting through the noise like glass.

“What is going on?!”

At once, they all freeze. Happy turns to the source of the voice, a fist balled up mid punch, and Toby props himself up on one elbow, uses his hand to rub away an oncoming headache while blood rushes out of his nose. Walter straightens up, arm still wrapped around his abdomen.

“Cabe,” Walter says, his voice dry and tight. “What are you doing here?”

-x-

An awkward silence looms over the shop after the last customer leaves, chased out by Cabe, who explains that the shop has to close early today, cranky from having to calm Sylvester’s concerns of blood and germs in the wake of the _disagreement_ between Happy and Toby. In the end, it’s Walter that relaxes him, and he only manages to do that after he’s sent Happy and Toby off to opposite ends of the shop.

“You okay, buddy?” Walter asks, and he offers a hand to Sylvester’s arm to soothe him some.

“I’m fine,” is the reply he gets, shaky and timid, an over bright smile to match.

“If you’re all done with this charming little exchange...” Cabe trails off and clicks his fingers, points to the space in front of him and considers his employees as they all shuffle towards him, mentally preparing for the dressing down of their lives.

“Explain yourselves.”

Nobody says a word.

_“Now!”_

And Sylvester jumps. “Toby broke the coffee machine,” he blurts out, shoots a pleading look at Toby in apology. “Happy was being Happy.”

“I did not break the coffee machine,” Toby protests fiercely, his voice all muffled from the tissue he’d shoved up his nose to stem the bleeding. “It was already broken before I touched it.”

Walter and Sylvester flinch at his words and Happy grabs the collar of Toby’s shirt and yanks him down until they’re face to face.

“I. Will. End. You.”

“Oh, for goodness sake. Get out of here all of you. Go home. I want you all back here first thing tomorrow.”

“But, Cabe-”

“That’s not f-

“Hey, you can’t d-

“I can and I will,” he says, speaking over their protests. “Now get out of my face before I start throwing punches too.”

They hesitate for a moment, consider defending themselves but Cabe just raises an eyebrow and one after the other, they back down, all filing into the break room to ditch their aprons and grab their things, carefully sidestepping the mess of milk and coffee grounds spilled all over the floor behind the counter and inching around Cabe on their way to the door. They pause for a moment and look to Walter.

“Cabe, we-”

“I don’t wanna hear it, O’Brien. Go home.”

And they do, the jangle of bells echoing in the sullen silence as they all split up in front of the shop to go their different ways.

Cabe looks around, at the used mugs, the scattered chairs and the mess on the counter.

‘Jesus Christ,’ he thinks to himself, praying for a miracle. They’re good kids and he likes them, but he can’t keep them on if he doesn’t figure out how to control them without camping out on the shop floor.

He needs help.

They need help.

-x-

Early next morning, each employee arrives one by one.

Sylvester is through the door at seven o’clock prompt, nervously picking at the threads of his sweater and glancing up at Cabe every so often to check that he's still there. His hands clench and unclench on the hastily cleared table, chairs still stacked on the other side of the room.

Walter walks in a few minutes later, tautly walking to Sylvester and taking a seat.

Doing his best to be nonchalant as he enters the shop, Toby flashes a bright smile at Cabe, whose look of disapproval only deepens in response. He takes a seat across from Walter and raises his eyebrows, shooting his eyes back over to Cabe. Walter just shakes his head.

Happy is last to arrive, arms crossed tightly and posture tight with aggression. She glares at Toby and sits as far away from him as possible. This, in turn, puts her basically in the back corner of the room.

“Alright kiddos, this is what is going to happen.” Cabe says looking at each one of them individually. “I’m hiring a manager!”

“But-” Walter starts.

“No Walt. I’m not demoting you. I just think we need a… customer _relations_ manager. You guys can barely handle each other let alone a shop full of customers.”

“Is she hot?” Toby asks. Happy leans over and smacks him on the back of the head. “No need to be jealous.” he says.

“Just try not to make her bleed too.” Cabe says looking pointedly at Happy. “And don’t scare her away.” he warns Toby.

“Wow. I am offended by that comment.” says Toby, abandoning the ‘staff meeting’ to walk into the backroom to get his apron.

“The man’s got a point.”

“Hey! Is it pick-on-Toby-day?” Toby says with his hand on his chest.

“Every day is pick-on-Toby-day for me.” Happy replies.

“That’s only because you like me and like pulling on my pigtails.”

Happy turns her back to hide her blush and walks over to the coffee machine. Toby doesn’t say anything. He’s gotten the answer he wanted.

The gang begins to set up for the day, weaving through the scattered tables and past each other with ease, and Cabe watches them. It’s part practice and part intuition and, despite the many and varied incidents since they all came to be employed at the shop, they really do work very well together. It’s probably the only reason he’s pulling so many strings to keep them together.

Suddenly, the bell on the door rings.

“We don’t open for another hour.” says Walter without looking up from his computer where he is working on the website.

“Well, I’m glad I’m not a customer then.” says a female voice.

When Walter looks up, a blush creeps up his neck. Standing in the doorway is a beautiful brunette holding hands with a little boy. Walter doesn’t usually let children into the shop at all, says screaming isn’t conducive to a productive work environment, but maybe for this woman he’d be willing to make an exception if it meant she stuck around for a little while longer.

“I’m looking for a Mr. O’Brien?” she says.

“I, er, that’s me.” Walter stammers, stepping forward to the gorgeous woman before him.

“Hi, I’m Paige, the new… customer relations manager and this is my son, Ralph. Honey,” she says leaning down to her son. “Why don’t you go sit in the booth over there while I get everything set up?”

Ralph turns his big brown eyes to her, but doesn’t move.

“Ralph, sweetie, go right ahead and I’ll be over soon."

Ralph does as he’s told, sits quietly in the booth and looks around the room as the adults introduce themselves, but he soon grows twitchy and restless. In the corner, he spots different condiments. Slowly he gets up and grabs all of them bringing them back to his booth, sets to arranging them in even lines and patterns as Sylvester watches on. He slowly walks over to Ralph.

“Paige, do you know what Ralph is doing?”

“He’s playing with half and half and salt shakers. He did that at my last job. Let’s just say that didn’t help me stay.” Paige admits

“No, it is so much more than that. He’s playing chess, using the different sized objects as different pieces on a chessboard. This is amazing.” Sylvester reaches down and shifts a salt shaker to the left. Ralph stares intently at the various items for a moment, then slides a half and half container towards Sylvester. He turns and beams at Paige.

“No way! Hey Walter,” Sylvester cries. “Kid gets checkmate in _three moves!_ ”

And at once, everyone is crowding around the table, chattering over each other and leaving sentences unfinished in their excitement and Paige is left confused and overwhelmed.

“Hey, time out!” she calls and is thankful when everyone shuts up. “That’s my son,” she says. “I don’t... What does that mean? That he plays with those things?”

Walter moves to stand next to her as the rest of the team go back to their jobs, eager to avoid the conversation, but it’s not hard to notice all the glances they shoot at the boy.

He watches Ralph play the game, moves quick and deadly, and Walter feels for the kid and his mom, he truly does.

“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news,” he says, “but your son’s a genius.”

"W-what are you talking about?" Paige asks, confused and scared and worried all at once.

"He's not just messing about with these salt shakers, he's using them to play chess."

Walter steps closer to her, touches her arm in a gesture of comfort but Paige moves away from him and tries to find enough air to pull into her lungs to stop her mind from spinning.

"How is he playing chess? They're just salt shakers." Paige rests a trembling hand over her stomach and moves towards Ralph. She runs her fingers through his short brown hair as she examines the game in front of her, trying to understand it all.

"Do you see the ketchup?" Walter indicates to the centre of the ‘board’. "That’s the Queen and this,” he picks up the mustard bottle, spins it in his fingers before replacing it. “This is the King."

He passes his hands over the half and halfs, the sugar sachets, the salt and pepper shakers. “And you’ve got pawns, knights, bishops and rooks. Now the objective of the game is to capture your opponent’s King, the game ends and there’s a winner.”

“It’s a strategy game,” he explains as he watches Sylvester and Ralph pass back and forth through turns without hesitation. “And your son is about to beat a Grandmaster.”

The game stops abruptly as Sylvester steps away from the table to bounce on the tips of his toes. The excitement pouring off him makes him clumsy, his arms flailing before he stills long enough to check his pulse against a wristwatch.

“What’s happening? Why is he doing that?” Paige asks, caught between concern for Sylvester and a terrible mix of fear and relief for her son, for her beautiful baby boy.

Walter watches the kid curiously, stressing a rubber ball in his hand as he analyzes the game, the moves Ralph made, and the grin he’s sporting.

He picks up Ralph’s ‘Queen’, and uses the bottom of the bottle to knock over Sylvester’s and he watches it roll for a second before it stops.

“Checkmate,” is the only answer he gives her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paige always knows what's up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to our girl Anna. Happy birthday, girl! hope you had a great day! Love ya.
> 
> This collaboration is by the Quintis Support Group!

It takes a few weeks to get into the swing of things but soon they are working like a well oiled carburetor, as Happy likes to say. Paige is starting to understand the team and has found her way into their genius hearts. Soon she begins to see the relationships between them.

 

“So… What’s up with you and Toby?” Paige asks while Happy fixes the coffee machine again for the fifth time that week.

 

“Wha-a-at do you mean by that?” Happy stammers. “What makes you think there’s anything going on with me and Toby?” Her eyes flick over to Toby as he leans over to wipe a table.

 

“Besides the fact that you just checked out his ass for the fourth time today.” 

 

“I did not check out his ass.” Happy growls, as a slight and barely noticeable blush creeps up her face.

 

“People tend to stop using conjunctions when they’re lying.” Toby says walking into the backroom.

 

“I. Am. Going. To. Kill. You. HOW’S THAT FOR CONJUNCTIONS ASSHOLE!” Happy yells after him.

 

“Whose ass were you checking out now, Miss. Quinn?” Toby says sliding behind her to get a mug. “Obviously not Walter because then Paige would be mad. And not Sly because frankly, I know he’s not your type. So who does that leave?” Toby raising his eyebrows at her expectantly.

 

“I don’t know. Cabe?” Happy says innocently, smirking at him.

 

“Ew, I did not need to know that.” Sylvester says walking behind them to get to the register. 

 

“No I’m with Happy. Cabe is a very attractive guy. A little rough but with a little dye, I’d date him.” Paige says.

 

Walter, obviously listening at his station in front of his computer, makes a face.

 

“You know, I find it offensive you think Cabe is hot when this beauty is in the room.” Toby says gesturing to himself.

 

“It’s the Blue Steel. It’s impossible to resist.” 

 

“Wow if I didn’t have any ex-wives..” Cabe says walking into the shop. 

 

“CABE!” They all shout turning to him.

 

“I am so sorry. We are done setting up and were just about to open.” Paige says running to the door, turning the open sign on. 

 

“Well I hope you are ready for the Monday rush.” Cabe says looking at his watch. “Because here it comes.” He looks out to where three of their regulars walk in. 

 

Paige smooths out her shirt, glances around the shop one last time and smiles when she sees everything is in its place.

 

“We’re ready,” she says.

 

She’s actually, woefully, unprepared.

 

-x-

The day runs pretty smoothly until a little lady comes in. She’s short and kind of look likes Betty White. She’s adorable. 

 

“What would you like, miss?” Toby says turning on the charm. “Let me guess. A Caramel Brulée Frappuccino with whipped cream and a cherry.”

 

“Very funny young man. Maybe in my youth.” She says.

 

“You don’t look a day over 30.” 

 

“Oh dear. That was a long time ago.” the old woman says. “But I’ll take a coffee black for the time being, please.”

 

“Okay. That will be $5.50, ma’am.” Toby says. He leans over to Happy and tells her the order in her ear. Happy nods and begins to work the machine.

 

“Dear me, how long have you two been together?” the woman coos at them.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry miss you have the wrong idea.” Toby says trying to smile and check on Happy at the same time.

 

“Oh young man I certainly do not. My late husband used to look at me the same way you look at this lovely lady.” The old woman chuckles as she drops a five dollar bill in the tip jar. 

 

“I don’t look any certain way at him, ma’am. You have the wrong idea.” Happy practically growls at her. She quickly slides over the woman’s drink and turns to walk away, hoping to hide the blush that is soon to be noticible.

 

“Don’t make him wait too long missy. He will find another and you will be stuck.”

 

“WHY YOU-” Happy yells, putting her foot up to jump over.

 

“HAPPY NO!” Toby yells grabbing her by the waist and picking her up and away from the poor scared woman. 

 

“I am so sorry ma’am.” Paige says, walking the woman out.

 

“Hap, calm down.” Toby says in a low tone. “Relax. She’s gone. You have no reason to be mad. She doesn’t know any better. Relax. Breath with me. In. Out. In. Out.” Toby realizes he still has his hands on Happy’s waist but she hasn’t done anything to throw him off or punch him, so he tries to not call any attention to them. 

 

“She does know better. She comes in here all the time and asks the same question. She should know by now.” Happy pouts. “Ugh she’s so annoying.”

 

“It’s okay. At least someone is on my-”

 

“I hope you’re happy now Happy.” Paige says walking back in. She pauses when she notices Toby’s hands on Happy’s waist. “You almost gave her a heart attack. Did Toby calm you down yet?” 

 

At that moment, Happy notices Toby’s hands. “Get off me! I’m taking my break.” Happy says stomping off to the bathroom with a red face. 

 

“Well that was interesting.” Paige says. “So I guess it’s just you and me.”

 

“Yeah, I guess.” Toby says looking at the bathroom door.

 

“Okay. I am going to ask you the same thing I asked Happy this morning. What is going on between you two?” 

 

“I am utterly in love, as is every guy that has ever talked to her, and she absolutely hates me.” Toby says lowering his voice so no one hears.

 

“Well get some balls and ask her out.”

 

“I’ve tried.”

 

“Maybe not movies and dinner but something more her thing.” Paige suggests.

 

“Monster trucks?” Toby asks holding two tickets.

 

“Yes perfect, and soon.” Paige says.

 

“Wait so you were talking about my ass this morn-”

 

They turn as the bell on the door to see more customers coming in. 

 

-x-

 

She turns to the next customer in line, an old man with weathered skin and clothes to match inching his way towards the counter.

 

“Welcome to Cyclone.” She smiles at the man as he eventually reaches her and steadies him when she thinks he’s about to take a tumble when he leans too far to one side. “What can I get for you today?”

 

The man doesn’t reply, doesn’t even acknowledge her as he rummages through his pockets. He eventually finds a pair of horn-rimmed glasses with thick lenses and puts them on.

 

“Hi, there. What would you like?”

 

The man doesn’t reply, just inches further across the counter to peer at her face.

 

“Where is she?” He says looking around the room. “Where is my decent Rita?” His voice is hoarse with age and it’s hard to make out his words over the din of the customers.

 

“Excuse me, sir?”

 

“Where is my ol’ bearcat?” His frustration seems to feed his volume and it as if everybody turns to look at Paige all at once, some frowning at her as if she’s deliberately upsetting a pensioner. She can hear Toby snickering behind her and it makes her flush.

 

“Sorry sir, but I’m not sure who you’re referring to.”

 

“You know the young spitfire. Short, got a live wire attitude. She likes to razz this fool constantly” He says gesturing to Toby.

 

“Oh, well I’m afraid Happy’s on her break at the moment, but I am more than happy to help you instead.”

 

Toby’s giggles grow louder and it makes Paige defensive. She straightens her posture and tries to keep her hands still where they rest on the counter and her expression calm. She takes a deep breath and refuses to watch the customers watching her, as interested in watching her fail though they may be.

 

“No. I want her. She is the only dame I trust with my coffee. Not even my last wife can make a cup like her.” His words are hurried and fierce, leave him gasping for breath, his body leaning heavily against the counter and Paige is instantly alarmed. 

 

“Sir, are you okay?”

 

He glares at her and Paige can’t even find it in herself to care when her heart catches in her throat and she considers the phone that’s kept below the cash register to call for an ambulance. She’s just about to grab it when he wilts and she’s left reaching her hands out to him frantically, wrapping her fingers in his jacket so he doesn’t fall and she’s aware of how shrill she sounds when she yells at Toby or Walter or anyone to “Do Something!”

 

“Sir, please, I’m going to need you to sit down! We’ll call you an ambulance but I need to make sure you’re not going to fall over, first. Can you do that for me?”

 

The man flaps at her hands, but he’s older and weaker and he goes with Paige as she tries to direct him towards the stools that sit just a few feet away. He’s coughing now, wheezing for breath as his face turns red and then purple and it’s like watching a tv show except he might actually die on her and her rabbiting heart and the dark look in his eyes brings tears to her own.

 

“Sir, please,” she begs him and she’s distantly horrified that everybody is watching but no one is moving to help him. “Someone do something!”

 

She shrieks as he wrestles and arm free but he remains upright and he pulls an inhaler from his jacket and shakes it vigorously, pops it in his mouth and breathes deeply, pressing the button again until the coughing finally subsides. It takes a moment, but he stands up again and then he’s back in her face again, glare darker than before and fierce, like a Rottweiler. 

 

“Go, go get my girl before you can’t breath either.” He says threateningly.

 

Paige takes a step back and nods weakly and she waves a hand over her shoulder at someone as she stands, adrenaline receding and leaving her dazed and confused.

 

Before anyone can move, the backroom door slams open against the wall behind it. 

 

“Finally the douchebags here. Toby-” Happy yells. “Why didn’t you get me? You know how he gets when I’m not the one to serve him.”

 

“Trial by error…” He says looking at Paige’s face and laughing.

 

Happy walks over to the old man. “What’s your problem, old man? Trying to scare the new girl?”

 

“I thought you got fired. God knows you make the meanest coffee.” 

 

“Just like you, Allan?” Happy shakes her head. “Hey asshole, you want your regular?”

 

“Obviously, it’s the only good thing this shabby shop has.” He grumbled glaring at Paige again. 

 

Paige follows Happy to the machine. “Is he always like that?”

 

“Yeah. You should have seen him when he first came in. He was ten tons worse. Even Toby couldn’t do anything. He was yelling and coughing. He looked as though he was about to fall over right there. So me being me, starts yelling at him and the next minute you know, he’s fine. As chipper as he is today.” Happy says calmly. 

 

“Hey, do you want a muffin too, you old bastard?” Happy asks.

 

“Sure, why not? I’m the only one that keeps this place open.” Allan yells back.

 

“With or without poison today?” Happy yells back.

 

“With!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not all sunshine and coffee beans when an old friend pays a visit.
> 
> UPDATE 09/03/2015: I forgot to warn for canon-typical ableist language so would like to take this opportunity to apologise to anyone who was not prepared and read something they did not feel comfortable with. I'm very sorry!x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, it is a pleasure and an honour to collaborate with Cassidy, who challenges me by sometimes making me write dialogue. She's a star and I'm so happy she decided to get involved because her ideas are amazing.
> 
> Thank you for making writing less lonely!  
> Megan x

It takes a week, but Paige thinks maybe she’s finally beginning to understand how things work around here, or at least she’s learning to listen to the team when they make outlandish requests because, as proven by ‘The Alan Debacle’, they know the customers best. It’s hard to trust them sometimes; when Happy is throwing sugar packets at the guy that’s hitting on her and when Toby joins in with said throwing of sugar; or when Walter and Sylvester disappear into math tangents that they swear have relevance and will ‘ _absolutely improve team efficiency by 300%, if my calculations are correct’_ ’; but they’re good people, charming and obnoxious and enigmatic all the same.

It takes a few days but yeah, she’s starting to get it.

That’s why when the little bell rings above the door and Happy throws a plate, she carefully tamps down on her initial instinct to fire her, and although she does have to grit her jaw when another plate goes careening through the air not a second later and explodes upon impact with the door frame, she decides to give Happy a chance to explain herself.

“GET OUT.”

The rest of the customers go quiet, which throws Paige off slightly. She doesn’t know where Cabe found the regulars, but they’re willing to sit through a lot of drama. Sometimes they don’t even acknowledge the shouting and the screaming and the moody silences so when they collectively turn and glare at the man that’s still stood by the door, she prepares herself for more drama.

“Toby, do you mind...” She trails off and gestures to Happy, who has seemingly ran out of plates and grabbed a mug instead. Toby’s ability and patience for calming Happy is profound and Paige usually leaves him too it.

This time he doesn’t move to stop her. He looks at Paige and puts his hands up in surrender. “Believe me, nothing will stop her and you do not want to get involved.”

“Toby!” she snaps as Happy reaches for the menu hanging on the wall.

“Alright,” he placates and he steps towards Happy and wraps his arms around her waist. “Alright, that’s enough, sweetheart. Time to calm down.”

He picks her up off her feet and twists them around so he is blocking her from the offender. Happy goes limp in his arms and, realizing how exhausted she is, curls into him. He leads her into the break room, looking at Paige with fear in his eyes.

“Get him out of here before Walter sees him.”

Paige looks at the man, takes in his bland features and disheveled appearance and doesn’t understand how he could have such an effect on anyone when he seems so _ordinary_. She clears her throat and tries to trust that her colleagues aren’t insane.

“Excuse me, Sir, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

The man smiles at her serenely and steps up towards the counter and Paige’s smile feels like stone.

“It’s a nice place you got here.” His voice is rough and there’s something taunting in his tone.

“Really, Sir, I must insist you leave. Now.”

“Hey now,” the man says, leans across the counter until he’s uncomfortably close to her face. She moves to take a step back but forces herself to remain where she is, straightening her posture and adopting a smooth, cold air. “Is that anyway to interact with our professional neighbors?”

He sticks a hand out between them and all that is threatening and smug about him is gone within the blink of an eye.

“Mark Collins,” he says. “I moved onto the block just this morning, into the empty lot by the bookstore down the road. I thought I’d introduce myself.”

Paige takes in his pleasant grin and the polite introduction and feels herself wavering, not wanting to rebuff him so soundly when she doesn’t actually know why she’s been instructed to get rid of him in the first place.

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and glances at the door to the break room and the silence beyond it.

“Paige,” she eventually says. She doesn’t shake his hand, uncomfortably aware of the audience she has and the way their disapproval saturates the room.

“Paige.” He sighs behind that pleasant grin. “A name as beautiful as the face.” He glances around the room. “That wasn’t so hard now was it?”

“No,” she replies, her voice but a whisper.

There’s a sound to her left and Paige turns as Walter vacates the office, his interest caught in the tablet he’s holding in one hand, an empty coffee cup in the other.

“Paige, do you have access to the spreadsheets of last year’s tax ret-”

“Hello, old friend,” Collins sneers.

“You! I, er, I thought you’d... been institutionalized. When- How did you get out?” Walter stammers.

“They let me out years ago. I was voted most improved patient my last month. The doctors were most impressed by my progress.” Collins mocks. “How have you been, old friend? Any more trips down the rabbit hole, as you all call it?”

Suddenly, the door to the back room opens and Happy comes out with a ketchup bottle in one hand and a bowl in the other, closely followed by Toby trying to grab her. Before she can watch the ketchup bottle she threw hit its target, she is being thrown over Toby’s shoulder and carried back into the back room.

“Hello to you too, Miss Quinn!” Collins yells after her as he dodges the flying ketchup bottle. “Well, I see you still kept her around, God knows why...”

“What are you doing here?” Walter asks, crossing his arms. Paige is momentarily distracted by his biceps and they way they flex slightly when Walter is mad, but she shakes the thought off. _No, this is not the time. Maybe later._ She inwardly sighs.

“Well, I came to recruit you, old friend.” Collins begins.

“Stop calling me that. You don’t have friends, only people you manipulate.” Walter steps forward to stand between Paige and Collins. “What do you want?”

“I’ve been looking for a business partner and, well, who better than you? I’m opening a coffee shop a few doors down. I want you to help me make my shop... _perfect_.” Collins says, leaning towards Walter, his eyes alight with a manic excitement.

“You don’t need my help to obtain your objective. We would only fight about what is right and wrong. It would be a waste of time.” Walter says.

“But would it be? Consider it, Walter. Consider how amazing we could be if we worked together, just me and you and the science of it all! We could do something beautiful, Walter. Imagine a world with nothing to hold us back. No limits and no objections and how far we could go. We can be the old Hurricane Brothers.”

“Destroying everything in our path? Or destroying ourselves?”

“Look at it as a new start. For both of us. To do everything we always talked about.”

“Walter…” Paige says from behind him. “Walter, what is he talking about?”

“Nothing,” he grits out. “Collins was just leaving.”

Collins smiles and steps away from the counter.

“Think about it, Walter. Don’t tie yourself down with the apes when you could be with me. Just... Think about it.”

Collins slips a business card onto the counter and heads for the door, the broken plates cracking and grinding underneath his feet. He opens the door but pauses before he leaves.

“I’ll be back in a few days,” he says, the promise lingering in the air like a threat.

-x-

Once Paige has redirected Walter back into the office with Sylvester, she knocks on the back room door.

“Toby, Happy. It’s safe to come out now. He’s gone.”

Toby steps out followed by a blushing Happy. They both pause looking at the front door and the mess that was made.

“Don’t take another step without a broom and dustpan in your hands.”

Happy sighs and spins around, reaching for the broom behind the counter.

“What a mess you made,” Toby jokes, enjoying the view of Happy’s ass as she leans over.  Happy brandishes the broom at him with a glare.

“Okay, okay, I can help you clean up, but seriously, that look can kill,” Toby says, but adds how it’s still beautiful under his breath.

Happy ignores the excited thrill it sends up her spine and carefully inches to the door. She is just beginning to sweep the broken crockery into a large pile when someone calls for Toby.

“Sorry, Hap, can’t help, duty calls,” Toby says to her and slips behind the counter to make another coffee for the customer that called for him.

“Yeah, whatever,” Her blush fades slowly as Happy mutters, less angrily than she usually would, as she sweeps broken glass into the dustpan, pretending the subtle glances he shoots her aren’t as soothing as they are.

“Excuse me Happy. Can you clear a little path of your latest destruction for the cripple?”

Paige looks up from her spot at the counter to see a young woman smiling sweetly up at her.

“Hi there, can I help you?”

The girl’s smile grows impossibly brighter, dimples appearing in each cheek as she’s a breath of fresh air after the strange stalemate brought about by Collins.

“Hi, is Walter around?”

The girl ditches a crutch to pull herself up onto one of the high stools. She reaches around the display window to grab a chocolate brownie and a napkin and Paige is shocked by the audacity of it, especially when she takes a huge bite out of it and moans at the taste.

“Mmmm, it’s so good,” she says to herself before seemingly catching Paige’s expression. She laughs to herself as she swallows the cake and offers her hand to Paige. “Sorry, I’m Megan. O’Brien. Walter’s sister.”

“Oh!” Paige sighs relieved. “Oh, thank God. It is so great to meet you. I’m Pai-”

“Paige Dineen.” Megan says. “I know. You are all Walter talks about. I swear, whenever he sees me the first thing out of his mouth is-”

“Hey, Megan.” Walter interrupts walking towards the two ladies. “That’s what I say. ‘Hey, Megan’.”

Paige laughs and shares a knowing look with Megan. Megan winks mouthing _we’ll talk later_ as she follows Walter to the office.

The office is darker than the shop floor, the natural light from the sun filtering through the shades, the walls are an uninspiring shade of grey, and when her eyes adjust, she catches Sylvester sat behind the desk, his gaze dancing back and forth between a laptop and a huge file in front of him. He’s talking quietly to a small boy no older than ten who is listening to Sylvester with rapt attention as his fingers whiz across the keyboard.

“Hey, Sly.” She moves forward to wrap him in a warm hug and when she withdraws, she perches on the edge of the desk and turns to Ralph. “Hi there, I’m Walter’s sister, Megan. Let me guess. You’re Walter’s new best friend Ralph, right?”

Nobody acknowledges her.

“Hey!” Megan yells. “Hello. Anyone home?”

They still don’t look up.

“Geniuses? What’s nine plus ten?” she says.

“21,” Toby calls from the other room.

Sylvester and Ralph look up with horrified looks on their faces.

“Are you okay? Is Toby okay?” Ralph asks.

“Toby’s fine. It’s a Vine. Never mind. So,” Sylvester says, putting the file aside. “Megan how are you today?”

“Still diseased. Still dying, you know, the usual.” Walter gives her a dirty look on his way out of the office. “Well it’s true!” she calls after him.

“So, what exactly is going on with Paige and Walter?”

“ I don’t know what we’re talking about,” Sylvester says and Megan sighs before she repeats herself, picking her words carefully so as to be more explicit.

“I mean, have you noticed any biological, social or behavioral differences in the two that would indicate that they’re embarking on an _adult relationship_?”

Sylvester recoils at the implications of the question and holds his hands up defensively, as if the words were physical blows.

“No, no, no, no, no,” he babbles. “I do not feel comfortable discussing this, at all.”

“What? Come on, Sylvester! She’s all he talks about these days and I need to know! If anyone were to notice something it’d be you...” she wheedles.

“Toby would be the one to notice and he would be happy to tell you! What Walter chooses to do with his... personal things is his business and I won’t say another word on the subject!”

Megan pouts for a moment before she’s drawn away from her disappointment by fingers tapping on keys, and then she’s smirking again.

“Ralph?” Ralph hmms but doesn’t look up at her and Megan doesn’t make him. She suspects it’ll be easier to draw information from him when he’s distracted and potentially less scarring for him too.

“Do you happen to know what’s going on with your mom and Walter?”

“Megan, it’s not any of your business!”

Megan snorts. “He’s my brother, which makes it my business. Go on, Ralph,” she encourages as Sylvester paces nervously behind her.

“Well, mom does talk about him a lot and it seems she keeps using me as another reason to hang out with Walter.” Ralph says picking up Sylvester’s Rubix Cube and Megan copies him, picking up paperclips to start threading them together into long necklaces.

“What do they do when they hang out?” Megan asks innocently.

“They mostly talk when they think I’m focused on my game.”

“What do they talk about?”

“Work, sometimes. Other times they talk about me and what other kids do and what I do. Yesterday mom asked him why he doesn’t save the world with his brain.”

Megan’s hands still and she turns her full attention on Ralph, seemingly for the first time since the conversation began and even Sylvester stops pacing.

“What did Walter do after that?”

Ralph shrugs. “He left to check on a delivery. He seemed angry.”

Megan is about to say something but the door opens instead and both her and Sylvester jump at the interruption.

“Come on, sweetie, there’s some juice out here for you but then it’s homework time.”

Ralph abandons the puzzle and follows Paige who leads him out to the shop floor to sit at the counter.

“You shouldn’t have done that. If Paige finds out, she could tell Cabe and he’d fire us, or worse! Then she’ll leave. And you can see how great she is!  Walter would be devastated if she left.” Sylvester worries as he restlessly finishes the Rubix Cube that Ralph left behind.

“Don’t even start with that, Sylvester. Walter loves all of you too much to let you guys leave and this team isn’t complete without each of you. And now Paige is a part of this team, as is Ralph. None of you can be missing if Cabe wants his cafe to stay flame free for very long.” Megan leans over in her chair to see Paige sit next to Walter as he looks over Ralph’s math homework.

“Why is all of this important anyway?”

“Because he’s my little brother and it’s my job to watch out for him.”

“He’s a big boy, you know he can take care of himself.” Toby butts in, walking into the office to grab a pen. “I bet in a month him and Paige will be all over each other.”

“A bet on Waige over there? I’m in for 3 months.” Happy says sliding up behind him. “You’re going down, Curtis!”

“Oh yea? What do I get if I win?” Toby says taking a step closer to Happy and leaning into her space. He’s expecting a violent response but is left feeling giddy when she just huffs at him and walks away.

Megan turns back to Sylvester. “I bet you $5 we’ll not only hear an announcement from Walter and Paige but from Happy and Toby too.” She smirks and looks at Toby in the doorway, who blushes.

“That’s not fair. You’re totally setting up Sly to win.” Toby says.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cyclone Café takes shipping to a whole new level while an old enemy returns. (thanks Madeleine)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to my girls in the Quintis Support Group! Love you all so much! Special shout out to my Queen Bae! it is so amazing to be able to write with someone like Megan its amazing to have best friend like her
> 
> YO shout out to all my quintis shippers! did you see how sexy that kiss was? Like dammmmmnnnnn hopefully we get another even though we have to wait 2 weeks ugghh

The gambling makes work interesting. Every day for a week, Megan would observe Paige and Walter talking at the counter as well as Happy and Toby paying more attention to each other than the coffee machines they’re apparently using. It’s still not enough excitement though, for tastes.

 

“Hmmmm, what do you say we make this a little more exciting?” She ponders as she grabs two jars and sticks labels on the front of each.

 

Sylvester sighs heavily. Adjusting to having Megan in the cafe has been tiring.

 

“Megan what are you doing?” Sylvester asks looking from her to the jars. 

 

“Nothing, just getting our customers in on the action.”

 

-x-

 

“This is the fifth time someone has looked at us then Paige and Walter then put money in a tip jar. What is going on?” Toby says whining to Happy.

 

“Hell, if I know.” Happy replied, quickly wiping down a counter.

 

It bothers Toby a lot and everytime he tries to stick his hand into a jar to maybe figure out what’s going on, Megan appears to slap his fingers away and taunt him and niggling questions that settle against his teeth are driving him crazy.

 

He kind of loses it when Mrs. C. appears for her afternoon cup of tea and, after spending a few minutes chatting with a gossipy couple that likes to sit in the far corner and sending tittering glances his way, she makes her way towards the counter and drops a small folded piece of paper into one of the jars and Toby is on her like a hawk.

 

“What did you put in the jar?” he demands, forgoing his usual sunny sweet smile and easy charm. Mrs. C’s eyebrows inch up her forehead as she stares at him.

 

“It’s a tip jar, is it not?” she finally asks.

Toby glares right back at her at that, because although logically it should be a tip jar, it’s also pretty (fucking) clear to see that there is definitely not a single tip in either jar and he’s left flummoxed for a moment before he can respond to that.

 

“Yes. But... What did you put in it?”

 

“Well, Mr. Curtis,” she says in a way that makes him feel like he’s one of her first grade students and is about to be sent to the principal’s office. “I put a tip in the tip jar.”

 

“You did not!” Toby runs his hands through his hair and tugs at his curls. 

 

“And why would you assume that I didn’t, Mr. Curtis?”

 

He gives her a look that clearly implies that he thinks she’s crazy and also a terrible person.

 

“Well, Mrs. C, you haven’t ordered yet, you’ve never tipped anyone in your life and also, you hate us.”

 

“Well, I can never resist a good competition, no matter how small.”

 

He doesn’t know whether the slip is intentional or not, but he takes the information and runs with it.

 

“Competition? What kind of competition? What’s the goal?”

 

Happy elbows him out of the way before she practically throws a to-go cup at the woman and she takes it with a huff and a judgemental, “Well, I never!” as she stomps towards the door.

 

“Wait!” Toby hollers after her. “Is there a prize? Why are we not allowed to know about the compet- oh, she’s gone.”

 

“Ugh whatever. Good riddance.” Happy says as she leans back against the counter, pressed close against Toby by the edge of the cash register.

 

“Are you okay?” He asks, bumping her hip against his. “You haven’t seemed yourself lately.”

 

“I’m fine. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Happy says bumping him back twice as hard.

 

“Alright. If you’re so fine, then horror movie night at my place, just like the good old days?” Toby suggests looking at her innocently. 

 

“You mean, the good old days when you used to call me crying at 3am because you were scared?” she clarifies.

 

“I did not call you crying at 3 am.” Toby says crossing his arms.

 

“Oh ya? Then why did you call me?” Happy says smirking. She knows she has him trapped now.

 

“I called you beca-”

 

“Excuse me. Service please.” Allan stands in front of them. 

 

“Hey asshole, we were talking you know. No need to be rude.” Happy says, as she starts making his usual.

 

“Well, what do we have here?” Allan asks looking down at the tip jars. “Hmmmm.” He looks from Toby and Happy to Walter and Paige in their usual spot. “Hmmmm.”

 

“What are you ‘hmmm’ing about you old coot?” Happy questions, passing him his drink and muffin. 

 

“Well let’s just say. I’m betting a million today.” He says as he puts something in the jar.

 

Happy and Toby look at each other as he walks out calling back a “Good luck with that one, sonny”. 

 

-x-

 

“Okay so we have popcorn, Milkduds, soda and chips. Do you think we need anything else?” 

 

“No, I think you got it all. Alcohol though?” Happy says, pulling out a flask. 

 

“You came prepared, I see.” He winks obnoxiously. He takes a sip from the flask. “Oh, you brought the weak stuff.” 

 

“Fine.” She says folding her arms in front of her chest. “What do you have then Mr. Bartender?”

 

“Are you feeling classy? I have Lambrini.” He says as he pulls out a bottle of white wine. 

 

“Are you kidding me? Where did you even get that from?”

 

“I have my ways.” He winks.

 

-x- 

 

Three hours later, they are on the couch, Happy sitting comfortably, pulling the bottle to her lips every five minutes, with Toby’s head in her lap.

 

“This movie is ridiculous. No one is this fucked up to do this to a person.” Toby slurs, throwing his hands in the air. 

 

“Shush” says Happy, running her hands threw his hair. “Don’t ruin it for me.” 

 

“Hmmmm.” 

 

She isn’t used to this, being intimate with someone. This isn’t even intimate. But it still causes the mechanical butterflies fluttering around in her stomach to go wild, and it still surprises her that he hasn’t caught on yet when everybody else can read her so easily. 

She hates not knowing what’s real or not. The touching is a lot but it’s never explicit enough for her to maybe start to believe that he likes her and she doesn’t know what to do with it all; with the whispers and glances and the way he leans into her that has her second guessing her every move. And it staggers her even now, just looking down at him drunkenly giggling at the movie, that maybe this is something she could have if she knew what to do about it all.

 

“Hap…” Toby says. “Are you okay? You’re looking at me funny.”

 

“I’m fine.” She says focusing back on the movie. He brings his hand up to her chin.

 

“Hey look at me.” He pulls her chin down so she’s looking him in the eyes. “Do you know the real reason I used to call you after horror movie nights?” He says. 

 

“You told me. It’s because you’re a little pussy and were scared.” 

 

“No that’s just what I told you as a cover.” He gives her a conspiratory grin and a wink and Happy thinks he might be very drunk indeed. “I really just wanted to talk to you and your voice would do this thing, when you were sleepy and annoyed and I wanted to listen to you breath, imagine you laying right next to me. You used to hate it when I woke you but I just had to hear your voice.”

 

He is completely drunk. He has to be. It’s the only way he would be saying any of this to her. He knows he should stop talking but he thinks maybe it would be worse to stop now and keep it all in. 

 

“I don’t know how to not be in love with you, Happy Quinn.”

 

She doesn’t respond. He’s already passed out on her lap.

 

-x-

 

The next day is awkward for the both of them. They’re working together as usual, just five feet apart and everyone notices the tension that lingers between them. Happy has to make one customer’s coffee five times. She finally get it right, only for Toby to spill it all over the counter and the customer. Finally, Paige switches out with Toby, hoping to find out what’s bothering them. 

 

“Okay what’s the matter with you?” Paige asks as the next customer walks to the counter. 

 

“Wow, that’s not rude at all.” Happy says beginning to make the next order. “And there’s nothing wrong.”

 

“But-” Paige says but is stopped by their favorite customer.

 

“Hey darlin’,” Allan wheezes, follows it with a harsh cough. 

 

“Hey Allan,” Happy says. “What would you like today? Anything new or the same old thing?” 

 

Alan looks at her with a questioning look on his old face. “Alright. Who are you and what have you done with my little spitfire?” He turns to Paige. “What did you do to her?” He says pointing at Paige. “Why is she acting like this?”

 

“Leave her alone, old man. She didn’t do anything.” She says, looking over at Toby talking animatedly with Walter, his eyebrows smushed together in that cute frustrated way that Happy likes, his hands gesticulating wildly. 

 

“What the hell has he done this time?” Allan asks, looking angry and sad and betrayed all at once. “Is it as bad as last time?”

 

Happy shakes her head, and slides his order across the counter. She’s surprised when the old man grasps her hand in his warm palm and gives it an encouraging squeeze.

 

“Can I kill him now or later?” Allan asks. “Shot gun or handgun?”

 

Happy laughs a little before pulling away still looking sad. Allan always has this effect on her. He always knows when something’s wrong and always knows how to make her laugh.

 

“I never trusted that kid.” Allan grumbles into his wallet. “Hey boy! Get over here and fix this damn mess you made!” Toby looks up worried but when he sees Happy’s face, he looks away, guilt in his eyes. 

 

“Everything better be fixed by tomorrow or he won’t be here on Friday,” Allan says leaning over the counter to kiss Happy on the forehead. “Be good, kid.” He takes his drink and muffin and hobbles out and Happy loves him, completely and wholeheartedly.

 

-x-

 

There’s a tense silence after Allan’s departure that clings to the team and leaves them all feeling nervous and wrong footed, has them dropping things and sniping at each other and grinding their teeth in irritation and it doesn’t end when the day does. It drags out through Friday and Saturday and when Monday morning rolls around, all are desperately hoping for a reprieve.

 

“Okay. It is too depressing in here.” Megan declares when she’s sitting in the office surrounded by silence. “Oh wait. Sly, remember that thing I set up last Monday.” She wiggles her eyebrows at him. 

 

“Megan, no. Not today. That’s only going to make things worse.” Sylvester says. 

 

Megan laughs his worries off and spins in her chair, her curls bouncing behind her. “It’s a great idea because someone needs to smile around here! I come here to get away from depressed people.”

 

Walter huffs and stalks out of the room at that, as he always does when he’s reminded of Megan’s awaiting hospital bed and her grey future, but Megan just rolls her eyes at him.

 

She gestures for Sylvester’s arm, and although it takes a few minutes, she does eventually manage to convince him to help her up and walk her onto the shop floor and over to the counter. She looks at Paige and Happy standing at the counter and winks before taking the jars. 

 

“I wonder what that was about.” Paige says to Happy, who just shrugs at her.

 

“Who knows with Megan.” 

 

-x-

 

“32...33..34..35 and 10..5..75 cents. Damn little brother no one is betting on you.” Megan says, whistling quietly. 

 

“Megan… What are you talking about?” Walter says.

 

“Well, you have your experiments and I have mine.” She says, turning the jars so he can see them. On one jar is labelled ‘W/P’ and the other ‘H/T’. 

 

“Betting who will get together first,” Megan explains. “Walter and Paige,” she gives a jar a quick rattle, “or Happy and Toby.” 

 

She gives the second jar a shake. It sounds suspiciously full in comparison to the first

 

“Did I hear experi-” Paige says walking in looking at the jars. “Seriously? That’s what all the weird looks where for?” 

 

“Yup. But unfortunately, everyone likes Quintis better. Waige just isn’t enough,” Megan says with a smile. 

 

“I don’t wanna know.” Paige says, glancing at Walter as she walks out of the room. 

 

“Not funny, Megan.” Walter says following her out. 

 

“Everybody’s a critic.”

 

“You better be glad Walter can’t fire you.” Sylvester says, shaking his head at her. 

 

“You better be glad that I’m not here for Walter’s approval.” 

 

-x-

 

There’s a slam of a door and the crash of crockery and everybody flinches because it’s been four days and there’s no sign of any ceasefire.

 

Happy stomps across the room and glares at everyone that dares meet her eyes. Paige isn’t too surprised. She’s more surprised when Walter follows her as she weaves a path of careful destruction through anything that can be easily replaced. His arms are crossed over his chest and his eyebrows are raised, shooting Happy a look of half measured patience, half condescension. Paige sighs at the impending explosion.

 

“Well, why don’t you do it yourself if you know what’s best, Mr 197?”

 

“That would be inefficient. My role as team leader involves a certain need for delegation. You’re being ridiculous.” Paige flinches again when a coffee pot smashes against the wall. It’s not surprising, but she’s still horrified when the regulars start packing up their things and leaving.

 

Until lately, she’d considered them almost unflappable, but apparently there’s a limit and a Happy vs. Toby cold war seems to be the final push out the door.

 

“Well, do you know what you should do with your role as team leader? Shove it up-” 

 

Happy is cut off when Paige clamps a hand over her mouth. She lets a lot of things slide, but she remains firm on the language for Ralph's sake, who is sitting just a few feet away with Sylvester.

 

She shoots them both a look but Sylvester seems to be more anxious than Ralph.

 

“Well, maybe you should act more professionally around the other team members!” 

 

Tension seizes Happy’s muscles and Paige knows well enough to not try to stop Happy from lunging at Walter, but there’s a loud bang before Happy can reach him.

 

“I did always warn you, Walter, that the lessers were more trouble than they’re worth.” Paige can only watch with a mounting sense of dread as the man, Collins, meanders his way through the shop, dragging his fingers across the surface of the tables with a grimace. His pace, like his words, are measured against his sneer to entrap his prey. She knows that nothing good can come of this. 

 

He finally reaches the counter when he speaks again, and he leans down over Happy, fingering a lock of her hair thoughtfully. “Especially this little one, Walter. Too much of a temper to be of much use.”

 

Paige shudders, a little revolted by the man’s casually intimate gesture, but she gives a surprised little grin when Happy moves, twists in his grip until his fingers are being crushed in her grip and he’s half trussed up with an arm yanked back and up towards his shoulder. His pained groan is satisfying for all of them, she imagines.

 

“Touch me again and I will kill y-”

 

“Let him go.”

 

There’s a near silence broken only by Collins, who snickers quietly to himself before he cuts himself off when Happy puts further pressure on his shoulder.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

Happy's voice is as cold as ice. Paige blinks once, twice, twists a rag nervously in her hands and she’s so, so glad that the customers have left because she feels like Happy is an armed bomb ready to detonate at any second. Paige implores Walter with her eyes to not go there.

 

“Collins is... right,” he finally says and he’s relaxed a little, like he is not the train wreck Paige can’t look away from. “You’re too emotional right now. You should go home. Calm down. Rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

“Walter...” Paige starts but she feels helpless because she wasn’t trained for this mess. She’s good with customers not so much with colleagues too wrapped up in each other to function, and half stories that hint at issues so deep she probably can’t even comprehend them.

 

“Don’t,” he says, like he has a right to be angry or inconvenienced. “Goodbye, Happy.”

 

Paige watches on, stunned, as Happy actually listens to him and releases Collins to let him slump to the floor. She steps neatly over him and, for as long as she’s known Happy, Paige has always known the flush of her cheeks and the half smile she carries around with her like a mask, but she’s stone now, too careful as she unties her apron and edges around Toby, Sly and Ralph, who are peeking out through the open door leading to the break room.

 

Toby halts her with a hand on her arm but she shakes him off without even a glance and they all watch worriedly as she grabs her bag and makes for the door and then the bell rings and she walks away, disappears from view without saying a single word.

 

Walter clears his throat and offers Collins a hand up from the floor.

 

“Mark, my office?”

 

Collins nods and allows Walter to lead him away, chattering all the while before the air goes quiet again as the door clicks shut.

 

-x-


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot of tension after Toby's confession and Collins enjoys pushing everyone's buttons.

“Oh God, not good,” Sylvester says as he juggles a pint of milk and three mugs. He’s never been particularly good at the handling of food and beverages side of the operation because he spirals. He second guesses himself and quickly loses control of the situation until he’s a sputtering, shaking mess. It’s exactly what’s happening now, sweat beading against his back as he fumbles with the coffee beans and a few scatter across the floor.

“Hey, there, it’s okay,” Paige reassures, swooping in to catch a metal pot before it clatters to the floor. “I can take over here,” she says, holding her hands out to take the detritus of poorly made coffee from his hands, sunny smile not wavering an inch. “Would you rather work the register?”

Sylvester heaves a sigh of relief and is so, so grateful to Paige. He’s been out of sorts since the Walter/Happy showdown and it’s easy to see how it’s affecting others too. Toby is snappish, more abrasive and sarcastic than he’s been since he broke up with his fiancée and even the customers look disconcerted, by the silence.

He takes over at the front of the counter and settles into the routine.

_Greet, offer a special, take the money, give the change, thank the customers._

It’s simple and the coins, unlike the drinks recipes, never change, and it’s endlessly soothing.

He glances at Paige for a second, navigating the coffee machine with an easy grace, and he appreciates her careful attention to the needs of the team and her endless patience.

He’s drawn to the closed door of the office and feels a sick twisting tension at the knowledge that Collins is back and that Walter isn’t telling him _no_ already.

Turning back to the next customer, he grins when he spies little Emma, a waif of a girl, no more than sixteen but by far their most charming customer.

“Vanilla latte with extra cream?” he guesses, and is met by a bright smile, a gap between her two front teeth, and she nods eagerly.

“How are you, Emma?”

Emma buzzes a little, shifts her weight back and forth for a moment as she chatters.

“I retook the math test,” she says, a little breathless with excitement. “You were right about limit functions and where the asymptotes cross. I did what you said and I got a B!”

“That’s great! And have you caught up with the class?” She offers him some money but he waves her off, whips a crisply folded note out of his pocket and rings it up on the register, slides her drink over to her.

“All caught up,” she agrees, bounces up on her tiptoes to lean over the counter to press a kiss to Sylvester’s cheek as he blushes. “I’ll see you later, and thanks again!”

She half skips out the door, her long hair floating behind her as she leaves the shop to the tinkle of the bell.

“I wouldn’t let Megan know you’re getting kisses from other girls,” Paige teases, hip-checking him gently out of the way as he wipes the counter down so she can drop the days Sudoku down in front of him along with a sharpened pencil and she loves that he refuses to look at her, stutters out a half answer that’s more telling than anything, and she feels hopelessly endeared by him.

“30 second Sudoku?” Paige doesn’t wait for him to verbally respond, just turns towards the big clock on the back wall and says ‘go’ when the second hand points down. She watches the second hand tick by as Sylvester scribbles beside her furiously and she means to wait and ease into the topic, she really does, but...

“Can I ask you something?”

Sylvester hums distractedly but the shop is quiet and she’s intensely curious, so she forges on.

“Do you know what happened? Between Happy and Toby?”

“What do you mean what happened with them?” He asks, not looking up from his Sudoku.

“When Allan came in the other day and Happy was upset at Toby, he asked if what happened with Toby was as bad as the last time. What happened then?” Paige asks. “The last time.”

Sylvester looks down and smiles. “Done. Perfect timing.”

“Sylvester…” Paige says.

“Oh, ermm.. maybe you should ask someone else. I don’t really feel comfortable talking about other people’s business. Maybe you should ask Happy or Toby.”

“Ask me what?” Toby says walking up to the counter to grab a new cup for one of the customers.

“Well… I don’t want to make things worse.” Paige says.

“There’s no way you could make this worse. The girl I’m in love with knows that I’m in love with her and won’t talk to me. And my manager slash best friend is in that office talking to a psycho who wants to take him back to crazy town with him. There is no way you can make this any worse,” Toby says, slumping over the counter with his head in his hands.

“What happened with you and Happy?” Paige asks. “Like before I came here. Allan mentioned it was bad.”

Toby sighs.

“You should know a few things about Happy,” he eventually says. “When she was little her mom died. Suddenly. Her father… he didn’t cope very well and she was put into a foster home.”

At this, both Sylvester and Toby frown with sad looks in their eyes.

“You know Happy’s attitude. It was even worse back then. She bounced around from one home to another so she finds it hard to trust people. So don’t ever think she hates you, she’s just... cautious.”

There’s a pause where Toby scrubs at a small mark on the display case with a rag.

“It’s… what happened was… a few years ago, just after my fiancée left me, I went to an underground poker game for over a million dollars. And I lost a lot of money. Like _a lot_. They took my car and they almost took my apartment. I was totally gone down my own rabbit hole and I didn’t even really notice it at the time but Happy did, caught me in a lie or something, I guess?”

“Was that what happened to make her so mad at you?” Paige asks. Sylvester gives Toby a knowing look.

“No. She made me promise that I would stay away from the tables and go to her whenever I felt like I have to… gamble.”

He spins the rag around his hand, pulling it taut and screwing it back up again.

“And you didn’t?”

He snorts.

“Not once. It was easy to lie to her for a few months; pretend I had the urge and run to her so when I really did give in she wouldn’t suspect, you know? But one day I won big. And I was... I was ecstatic, really. Couldn’t wait to tell her all about it and just brag about how I won against the big, tough guys and how humiliated they were when I bluffed my way to the top. She didn’t care to share in my triumph.”

“She was so angry but I didn’t want to listen when we could be celebrating and I thought buying her things would make it all okay. I knew she was mad at me and I was just so worried about losing her. Hell, I’m still worried about losing her. I can’t believe I messed up again. I just messed up everything.”

“Is that why she’s upset? Because of what you did?” Paige frowns. “What did you do?”

Toby sighs again like each word is a chore.

“You see… we have this tradition where every Friday we hang out and watch some kind of movie and get a little tipsy. And everything was as usual. We were drinking some fancy wine and I had my head in her lap and… and she was running her hands through my hair.”

He sounds wistful to even his own ears.

“It was amazing and then I had to go and mess it up.”

“Okay, so boy likes girl, boy and girl watch a movie. I don’t understand the issue” Paige says, laying her hand on top of his and squeezing it a little.

“That’s the problem. I told her. I told her I don’t know how to not be in love with her. But she didn’t look at me." He puts his head in his hands. “We got up the next day and went to work like nothing happened except she won’t look at me or talk to me. I’m not sleeping and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Oh woe is me, woe is me. My girlfriend won’t talk to me. Oh boo hoo, no one cares!”

Sylvester, Toby and Paige turn towards the office to see Walter and Collins walk out.

“See this is what I mean. This is why you should take my deal.” Collins says walking to the door. “Oh and Toby, give a kiss to Happy for me. Oh wait you can’t!” He laughs as he walks out.

“Uhh Walter? What deal is he talking about?” Sylvester asks.

Walter stalls for a moment before he tucks his hands into his pockets and rolls his weight onto the balls of his feet.

“Mark has proposed that we go into business together, as official partners of a new franchise.”

There’s a stunned sort of silence before they all start talking over each other.

“Are you considering th-?”

“Walt, you can’t be serious, that guy’s cra-”

“Walter, I have a very bad feeling about th-”

“That’s enough!”

They all go quiet again, but they don’t look happy about it.

“The initial projections are... compelling,” he admits, “but a decision has yet to be made. Rest assured that I will consider each option carefully before I make a commitment. Now, I would appreciate it if you would all do your jobs in the meantime.”

They all start speaking over one another again, asking question and demanding answers and insulting him all at once, but he remains firm on the issue and, although distracted, they get back to work and continue to make coffee and serve customers as the world spins on.

-x-

The next few days are normal for the team. Or as normal as it can be with the tension between Happy and Toby and Walter and the team. By Friday, Happy is spending most of each day watching the door.

“Who are you waiting for? A hot date?” Megan teases from her perch at the counter.

“No,” she replies, and she sounds a little distant and worry creeps into the edge of her tone.

It catches Megan’s attention though, because Happy is rarely ever worried or concerned or frantic. She’s almost unflappable in that sense, but now she looks small, like she’s about to collapse in on herself as she weaves between tables and she keeps her head down except for the way she whips around every time the bell above the door rings.

“Are you okay?” she asks, but Happy is already disappearing and it’s a different kind of silence than the one everyone has been slowly adjusting to and it makes Megan anxious, like maybe everything won’t sort itself out the way she’s been expecting it to.

She shifts uneasily from her seat at the counter and tries to not let it bother her.

-x-

Whatever’s bothering Happy doesn’t go away though, no matter how many half-hearted insults she hands out, and it’s hard not to worry about her when with every passing hour, her skin pales and she becomes more and more distressed, and she simply refuses to tell anyone what’s wrong.

Walter shuts himself in his office and Sylvester lurks by the muffins, close enough for her to reach out to him, should Happy want to, but he looks nervous and awkward too, and Paige is busy making significant eyebrows at Toby, like he holds all the answers in the world.

He doesn’t know how to make things better though. They’ve barely said a word to each other since the ill-fated movie night, and she’s certainly not been telling him about her problems and so he doesn’t have a clue. He reckons he’d do anything though, to wipe that quietly devastated look off her face, so he shoos Paige away, claps Sylvester on the back and takes a deep breath as he steps into the path Happy has been wearing into the tiled floor for the past hour.

“Get outta my way,” she says, but it lacks her usual heat and when the bell rings, she swings around to face the door looking hopeful for a moment, before her shoulders slump once more, and Toby’s heart clenches uncomfortably in his chest.

He knows it’s early afternoon without checking, but he glances at the clock anyway, as if he’s somehow incredibly wrong and that the shop hasn’t been unusually quiet every morning this week.

It’s 2:13pm.

“Oh, _Happy_.”

Her lashes are damp and her hands shake and Toby yanks her to him and wraps her up in a hug because Allan didn’t come in today, and now that Toby’s thinking about it, he’s pretty sure he didn’t come in yesterday either.

“I’m fine,” she mutters against his shoulder even as her hands white knuckle around the raggedy hem of his shirt. “It’s probably just nothing. He probably went to see his family or something. Whatever. I don’t care.” She says pulling away from Toby’s warm embrace. She wants to dive back in and stay there safe and warm and cocoon herself in him forever, but the bell rings and it’s business as usual, and she pushes away, irrationally angry at him for knowing what was wrong in the first place.

“What can I get you?”

She stares blankly at the kid whilst he peruses the menu and can’t help but turn her attention back to the windows and streets beyond, like Allan will be plodding along the sidewalk and harassing the neighbors with his terrible jokes.  

He’s not though and he doesn’t appear in the next ten seconds either or the ten after that.

She starts on the kid’s order but has to do it over before she gets it right and even then, when she picks up the cup to give it to him, the coffee spills over the rim and splashes across her skin. Toby grabs the cup from her and pulls her over to the sink, dousing her hands in cold water, ignoring the pained wince she gives. “Paige, can you serve this man while I take care of this?”

“Sure, take care of her please.” Paige says, quickly running around the counter to help the customer.  

“You are not okay. You burned yourself,” he says plainly. “And you’re shaking. My Happy doesn’t shake.”

Happy scoffs. “I’m not your Happy, idiot.” Her chest feels tight.

“No.” He pulls her hands out from under the water and inspects the skin carefully, his fingers smoothing across her knuckles. “But you are my friend.”

“Friends don’t tell their friends they’re secretly in love with them,” she mumbles under her breath as Toby walks away to get the first aid kit.

“So that’s why you’re mad at me,” He says pulling her over to the counter. She carefully hops up to sit above him as he sits on the stool in front of her. “Most girls have the opposite reaction, you know. But then you aren’t-”

“Like other girls. I know, Doc. You don’t need to tell me,” Happy says wincing when Toby puts cream on the burn.

“Hey. It’s not a bad thing. I will never think that’s a bad thing,” Toby says wrapping some gauze around her hand. He keeps her hands tucked up in his. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Or tell you any of that for that matter. I’m sorry.”

“It’s whatever. I’m fine,” Happy says looking away from him.

“Hey,” Toby puts his hand under her chin so she will look at him. “Don’t worry about it now. What you need to focus on right now is finding where Allan is. Okay?” He stands up and takes a half-step closer so he’s nestled between her thighs.

“Okay. Thank you,” She mumbles looking at her hands in his. Her hands look so small compared to his. She can feel his heat from where he is standing in front of her.

He steps in between her legs and leans down to kiss her on the crown of her head. “Come on. We can ask Walter to hack the bank to find him, okay? Allan’s used his card here before, right? It’ll be easy.”

“Okay.” She balances herself with a hand on his shoulder as she slowly gets down from the counter with a blush on her cheeks. She doesn’t look at him until she is halfway to the office door. “You coming? You’re the one with the plan.”

“I- Of course I’m coming.”

-x-

“Isn’t this illegal?” Walter asks, his fingers flying over the keyboard.

“Since when has legality ever been a concern of yours?” Toby responds.

“Probably since the ends do not justify the means,” Collins says. “I’m telling you Walter, the Normals have no appreciation for true beauty. Do you really _care_ about this old man they’ve got you risking jail time for?”

“Who said you could open your mouth?” Happy glares at him. “When did you even get here?”

“Listen here you metal-loving beast-”

“Hey! You watch your mouth,” Toby cuts in, walking up to get in Mark’s face. “You call her something derogatory one more time and we will have a problem.”

“Oh Tobias, be serious you couldn’t hurt me even if you tried. Your pet could do a better job than you.”

Happy lunges at him and manages a good hit to the jaw when Walter stands.

“Stop! All of you. That is _enough._ ” He stands between them with his back to Collins. “Happy, Toby, Allan Bonesteel lives over on Scorpion Avenue. Number 27. Go now.”

“But what about-”

“I’ll handle everything else. Now go before there’s another fight.”

“There wouldn’t be a fight if _he_ wasn’t here,” Happy says before she’s being dragged out of the room by Toby.

“Neanderthals,” Collins mutters under his breath.

Walter doesn’t disagree.

-x-


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is about to get tense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys we are going to be taking one week hiatus. Next Sunday there will not be a new chapter due to spring vacation. 
> 
> Special thanks to Allie (arithmadick) for helping out this chapter. You did a great job jumping in. Thanks girl
> 
> Plus thank you for all the birthday wishes. You guys rock. 
> 
> See you in 2 weeks

“Hey Sylvester,” Megan greets as she steps into the café and edges carefully around the scattered chairs with her crutches. “How are you?”

 

“I’m okay,” he tells her, and he’s mostly being honest. “Surviving”

 

Megan smiles at him, soft and sweet, as she pulls herself up to the counter. “Ah, the same as all of us then,” she jokes before leaning across to press a quick kiss to his cheek.

 

“It’s quiet around here,” she prompts. “Where is everyone?”

 

“Paige is making brownies,” he tells her, gesturing to the open door to the kitchen and as the noise of the café rises and dips, a faint melody can just be heard as she sings to herself whilst she works. “Toby and Happy took a half-day because they’ve made up.”

 

“Honeymoon?” Sylvester splutters at her question, and his cheeks flush. “Or not,” she corrects with a laugh.

 

There’s nothing but the gentle hustle and bustle of the café for a few minutes and Megan breathes in the rich aromas of fancy tea blends and roasted beans as she watches the afternoon crowd with more than a little curiosity.

 

“Hey, where’s Walter?” She finally asks.

 

“He’s in his office.” Sylvester informs her, a look of pity on his face because he remembers the first time round with Collins and how Megan needed her brother, just because he was her brother and she wanted him to be with her, and he was off in la-la land with a mad man. 

 

“Again? He’s becoming a hermit.” She rolls her eyes but that familiar, concentrated look of ‘dammit’ flashes across her face. He’s retreating again, for whatever reason, and she hates it. There’s a pause.

 

“He disappeared in there after Happy’s fight with Collins,” Sylvester eventually says, choosing his words carefully. Megan’s eyes go cold. 

 

“Collins? He’s back? Mark’s back?” Her fists grip the bar tightly and Sylvester squirms a little, feels guilty because she really shouldn’t have to deal with this.

 

“Yeah, I thought Walter would’ve said something.” Megan lets out an exasperated sigh and bites her lip. 

 

“No, like he ever really tells me anything. I am going to kill him. Right now on this floor. Walter O’Brien if you do not leave that god damn office this instant!” She’s starting to stand so Sylvester pushes her back down because the O’Brien fight may be worse than the Quinn-Collins one. 

 

Paige hears the commotion and comes out from the break room, and Sylvester is once again thankful for her presence. Paige can handle Megan, he promises himself. 

 

“Is everything alright?” She knows the answer already. 

 

“No. Why is Collins back? What does he want?” Her eyes are lit up in fire, a fierce protectiveness of her little brother, genius or not. Paige is soft and kind with her words when she speaks. 

 

“He asked Walter to do business with him is all. He hasn’t made any decisions, there’s not even one to make in the first place.” 

 

Walter appears in the doorway of the office, eyes widening slightly when he sees his sister. 

 

“Walt, you can’t do this. I refuse to lose you again.” Her tone isn’t as harsh as he expected it to be when she found out, more-so worried, but it doesn’t make him feel any better. Even though he knows what he’s doing this time.

 

“That’s ridiculous,” he scoffs. “Nothing will happen.” 

 

“He’s not your friend, he’s using you and something will happen.” Megan is clearly becoming more frustrated, her hands twitching at her sides, but she takes a soothing breath and tries to remain calm. She doesn’t want to give anyone a reason to send her back to the hospital. 

 

“I can look after myself, Megan,” he says, and there’s implications there, she knows, and it’s more than a little condescending. 

 

“Please, Walter, take my word. Your obsession with Collins and his dumb games will get you killed!” 

 

“Megan, stop! You’re being hysterical and I have everything under control.” 

 

There’s a tense moment where they glare at each other before Megan gives a watery laugh and raises her hands in surrender. “Fine, you’re the genius right?” 

 

Walter doesn’t answer, just rolls his eyes and turns away, stalking into his office and slamming the door. He isn’t even that mad, (it’s Megan, he doesn’t know how to be angry with her anyway), but he doesn’t need to be coddled or looked after. He grew up a long time ago, amidst Homeland Security agents and secret government programmes. 

 

And even if he did need protection, he wouldn’t deserve it anyway.

 

-x-

 

Paige sits on the stool next to Megan, grabbing the older woman’s hand and squeezing tightly.

 

“Walt will figure out that he’s staying in no time at all. He just needs to think it out, which you already know. Besides, things can never not get better.” Paige smiles sweetly, and it takes a moment, but Megan’s shoulders lose the tension she’s been carrying around, and she is instantly reassured.

 

“You know, Paige, you’re still fairly new, but it’s nice to have someone that sees my brother more like I do. I’m glad you took the job.” 

 

Paige beams at her, jokes, “Well, someone has to keep these lot in line.” It eases the atmosphere and the two women laugh before Paige stands again, pats Megan on the shoulder as she rounds the counter to tend to the next customer. 

 

-x-

 

Happy drives them to Scorpion Avenue, her hands gripping the steering wheel so hard that her knuckles begin to turn white. 

 

“Hap, you need to calm down,” Toby says anxiously. “You’re going to make us crash!”

 

“I. AM. FINE.” 

 

“No you’re not. You’re upset about Allan. You’re upset about Walter and Mark. It’s okay. You have every right to be, but right now you’re driving a car with precious cargo,” He says clinging onto the door handle. 

 

“Precious cargo? Who? You? Get over yourself,” she scoffs at him and turns away, avoiding his gaze. 

 

“I meant you,” he says quietly. 

 

Her face loses its grimace and the car goes quiet again. She pulls the car over and slumps against the steering wheel, her heart pounding at his statement. “Doc. Not helping.” She takes a minute to slow her heart and tries in vain to steady her panicked breathing. She counts to ten slowly before she pulls back onto the road.

 

“I’m not gonna say sorry for all that I’ve said. I chose in the moment to live honestly and if you don’t feel the same way yet, I’m okay with it.” 

 

“You’re confident.” She says shaking her head at him, smiling a little.

 

“In this I am,” he says, looking at her grin. 

 

-x- 

 

The tension had simmered down and a few customers had come and gone when Walter comes out from his office. Paige is wiping down a table, Sylvester counting tips. Megan’s purse and coat sat on the bar but she was nowhere to be found. 

 

“Where’s Megan?” Walter asks, and is relieved when he isn’t met with malice from his coworkers. 

 

“Megan was in the bathroom. But she’s back now.” Megan gives a thin smile to her brother and sits back down, stealing a muffin and handing Sylvester a 5 dollar bill. 

 

“So, have you made any decisions yet?” Sylvester prods, finding a focal point other than Walter’s eyes. 

 

Everybody turns to watch Walter.

 

-x-

 

“Are you sure this is the right house?” Happy asks, her voice shaking. 

 

“Yea. I’m sure. Judging by the beer cans on the window sill, old books on the coffee table, gun on the mantle, a huge cross on the wall, and at least 1.. 2.. 4 bibles, I would say this is definitely Allan Bonesteel's house.” Toby says, examining the old house. 

 

“Don’t judge. At least he doesn’t live in a rat hole like your apartment.” Happy says, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning at him. 

 

“I am not judging. I am observing.”

 

“Didn’t you say a few weeks ago that when someone lies, they stop using conjunctions,” she says smirking at him. It feels good. Their light banter. It’s a steady comfort that she hasn’t know for a while. It hasn’t happened since That Night.

 

“Don’t even start with me. Anyway how do you know that my apartment is a mess? Maybe I have cleaned it,” he says, mimicking her posture and crossing his arms. God, did he miss this. He missed her.

 

“Since when do you clean? Do you even own a vacuum or a mop?”

 

“Alright. I give,” he says, putting up his hands in surrender. “Are you gonna knock or should I?” 

Happy huffs at him and turns towards the door. She raises her fist to knock but pauses. She takes two deep breaths and knocks.

-x-


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Happy and Toby are off to find Allen, the rest of the café are trying their hardest to stay together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys sorry we haven't updated in a long time we have all been busy with individual projects and stuff but hopefully over the next 2 week this will be finished.

The door opens. A young man stands at the door and looks at them.

“Can I help you?” The man says.

 

Happy takes a step back and grabs Toby’s arm to pull him away from the door. It has to be the wrong house. God, they’re so stupid. 

 

Toby puts his hand on Happy’s which is still on his arm. He takes a step forward and speaks for her. “Does Allan live here?” 

 

“Yes. I’m his grandson. Who are you and how do you know Grandpa?” He asks. 

 

“I’m Tobias Curtis and this lovely lady is Happy Quinn.” Happy jabs him in the side and when he looks at her she nods toward the truck. He shakes his head at her and continues. “Allan happens to be a regular at our café and we haven’t seen him in a few days. He is a favorite of hers- ours and we have been worried.”

 

“Yeah. He hasn’t been feeling well. He’s back in the hospital. I’m Mike by the way.” He shakes Toby’s hand, but doesn’t try when he sees Happy step back more and cross her arms. 

 

“We would really like to see him. Which hospital is he at?” 

 

“St. Lukes. Over on Main. Room 213. I’m sure he’d be happy to see you guys. I think.”

 

Toby tips his hat. “Thank you. Have a nice day.” 

 

He gently grabs Happy’s hand and pulls her to the truck. He knows that face. She’s worried. And scared. 

 

“Everything is going to be okay.” He says as he opens the passengers side door. She gives him a look like okay sure, as she gets into the car with no comment about him driving instead. 

 

-x-

 

Back at the cafe, all eyes are still glued on Walter as he breathes out. 

 

“Collins has offered me some good things,” he starts, trying to avoid the question. “but I also have many good people and things here. I have some heavy consideration to do before making any claims about how I’ll continue.” Sylvester looked down, wiping away a few tears making their way down his face. Megan stood up slowly. 

 

“Hey, Walt, can you drive me back? It’s basically time anyway.” The older woman raises her eyes, hugging both Paige and Sylvester tightly, kissing them on their cheeks. Walter goes to the back, returning with his keys and jacket and nodding at Paige. 

 

-x-

 

They get to the hospital and walk inside to the main desk.

 

“Who are you here to see?” the old man sitting at the desk says.

 

“Allan Bonesteel,” Toby answers looking around the lobby. There’s a few people sitting, mostly guests, looking worried and stressed. A mother is sitting with her baby trying to rock her daughter to sleep. A man and a woman are sitting close together. The woman is crying into his shoulder. Clearly they have lost someone. Maybe a son or a sibling. “Room 213.”

 

“Here are your passes. One for you. And one for your boyfriend. Make sure to return them to me. Thank you. Have a great day.”

 

Happy growls at the guy. Toby pulls her quickly away with a “Thanks. You too,” over his shoulder. 

 

“Ugh I hate people.” Happy says pulling her arm out of his grasp. 

 

“Oh Happy. You mean you hate everyone even little old me?” Toby asks sweetly as they get onto the elevator. 

 

“Especially you, numbnuts.” Happy says pushing the button to the second floor.

 

Walking down to the room, Toby notices Happy is shaking. She steps up to the door and holds up a shaking hand to knock but he stops her. 

 

“It’s okay. You need to relax.” He says, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. 

 

“I’m fine. I’m okay.” She says more to herself than to him. 

 

“Okay. Good. Let’s go.” He says taking her hand and pulling her with him into the room. 

 

They almost crash into the nurse as she walks out. “ Oh! I see Mr. Bonesteel has more visitors. I’m glad. He isn’t doing too well.” She says. Her eyes grow sad and she frowns at them. “We aren’t sure if he will make it through tonight. I’m glad he gets to see everyone before…”

-x-

 

“I still really think you should stay where you are, with the team. You guys are good together.” Walter gave his sister a look, but she continued on.

 

“You are! And I know you may have some cloudy vision but take it from me, the older and therefore wiser, that Collins is bad news.” Megan sighs, confident in her words but not fully believing that her brother would listen to them. The rest of the already short drive was silent, but when he checked her back into the hospital she kissed him on the cheek and spoke one last time. 

 

“I’ll support your decisions, Walt, but I only want what’s best for you.” 

 

-x-

 

They walk in to see Allan on the bed. He’s awake and looks up when he hears them. 

 

“There’s my spitfire. How are you doing, my girl?” He says. He seems nicer, calmer. It makes her kind of miss the way he used to yell at the shop. 

 

“I’m doing good, old man. How are you doing? The cafe hasn’t been so quiet since we opened.” She says sitting on the end of his bed. 

 

“I missed you too, my ol’ bearcat.” He says patting her hand. 

 

Toby and Happy stay for an hour discussing everything they can think of, from the cafe to his grandson. 

 

“So tell the old man. Have you two made up, yet?” He says looking between Happy, sitting Indian style on the end of his bed and Toby sitting next to them in a chair, closer to the end of the bed. 

 

There’s a pause while Happy looks at Toby who is looking down at his hands. When he finally looks up and looks at her, she smiles. “Ya, we’re fine right, Doc?”

 

“Of course. Always.” He looks up at her and takes her hand. She doesn’t pull away from him and he’s glad. 

 

“Good. I’m glad I don’t have to kill you son. I always liked you.” Allan says, winking. “Take care of my girl over here, won’t you?”

 

“Yes sir. Of course.” Toby says patting him on the shoulder. 

 

“My girl. You’ve been good all these years. Like a second daughter you are to me. Be good. Don’t give too much of a hard time to everyone. Just to old men like me.”

 

“Of course you old coot.” She says leaning over to kiss him on the head.

 

“I love you my young spitfire. Be good.”

 

“Yeah, I love you too old man. I’ll see you around.” She says. Her hand is still in Toby’s as they walk out. 

 

As they get to the elevator, they hear a faint monotone beep and see a few nurses run into a room. Room 213.

 

-x- 

Walter returns and walks into the back without a second glance at Paige or Sylvester. He hears Paige’s heels click on the tile floor before her knock. Glancing at the papers littering the desk he sighs and opens the door to her. 

 

“Paige.”

 

“Walter. We need to talk.” He waves her in dramatically, but an uninterested look is on his face. They both sit across from each other. 

 

“Please, make this efficient. I have a lot of numbers to rifle through.” Walter stacks a few piles of paper on top of each other and looks her in the eye.

 

“It’s about me and Ralph, and my job here.” Fidgeting with her hands in her lap, she looks back at Walter uneasily. 

 

“Elaborate?”

 

“Drew came back, Ralph’s father. He’s only here for a short time, and then he’s going to Portland, Maine, because he got a job as a pitching coach there.”

 

“Paige, I really don’t see how any of this pertains to me or the cafe.”

 

“He asked me to go with him! And to take Ralph, obviously.”

 

Realization dawns on him. “Oh. So are you going to go with him?”

 

“I don’t know,” she says with a huff, “are you going to work with Collins?” 

 

“There’s a new customer. Sly probably needs help. Can you go?”

“Of course.”

 

And she slams the door. 

 

-x-


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything falls apart all at once. Everything. What's the point?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter yay  
> We have just the epilogue left. Sorry we haven't updated we have been working on other stuff.  
> Shout out to my girls (and guy) in the Quintis Support Group. We are now 28 members strong. yay us

The doors close before either of them can react. They stand in shock for a few seconds before Toby is pulling Happy to him in a hug. She stands there in shock for a few seconds before pushing him away. 

 

“I’m fine.” But she isn’t. She knows it. She knows he can see it too. He can see her shaking.

 

They stand in silence. He wants to reach out her, to be there for her, but he knows right now she needs time to herself or he will get punched and the last thing she needs is to hurt her own knuckles. 

 

The silence is deafening.

 

-x-

 

Paige helps Sylvester with the customers for a few minutes before Toby and Happy enter the building. The rest of the team can feel something’s wrong. Toby’s eyes are lingering on Happy- watching her mechanical movements anxiously. There’s a very good chance she could snap on any of them, and it won’t be pretty. 

 

Happy takes over the coffee machine from Paige and works quietly. Toby knows she’s just trying to block out all of her emotions. She’s shaking and her face has a permanent scowl. He knows if he tries to take her out of there too soon she will snap. So he stays, making casual conversation with Paige and some customers. 

 

When closing time comes, all the customers leave and the team begins to clean up in silence. 

 

“Guys, I need to tell you something.” Paige says, gathering the team around. Happy stands, arms crossed next to Toby, leaning slightly towards him. It’s time for them to leave. Happy is tired and upset and still angry at the world. The last thing she needs is more nonscience. 

 

“What is it, Paige?” Walter says, sitting at the counter next to Sylvester. 

 

“Um.. So I was contacted by Drew, Ralph’s… father. And we have been talking and Ralph has met with him multiple times and now Drew has a job. Minor league baseball in Portland.” Paige says wringing her hands.

 

“Portland is only 961.47 miles so about…” Happy starts.

 

“16 hours and 9 minutes.” Sylvester chips in. 

 

“It will only take a day to visit him.” Toby says, clearly still confused.

 

“No, no you guys don't get it. Portland, Maine.” Paige says, looking at the ground.

 

“Oh. You’re… leaving.” Sylvester says quietly.

 

“Of course she’s leaving. Everyone does. What do you expect?” Happy says, slamming down an empty coffee cup and storming towards the door. “Walt. I’m out.” 

 

The door closes with a rattle leaving the bell ringing. 

 

“I’m sorry for her. She’s had a rough day. I’ll take her home and calm her down.” Toby walks to the door. “Goodbye, Miss Dineen and good luck with the deadbeat.” He leaves without hearing a response. 

 

The rest of the group sit in silence.

 

“Walter, I’m dating your sister.” Sylvester says abruptly. He gets up and leaves with a quick goodbye to Paige.

 

“Look, Walter. I didn’t mean-” 

 

“No. It’s fine. You have to do what is best for your son. I’ll give you your last check now.” He says, standing and moving towards the office.

 

Paige reaches out and grabs his hand to stop him. “I’m not leaving yet. I still have a month here. I would have told them but they all just... left.”

 

“Oh.” Walter says, looking down to where their hands are connected. 

 

“I’m sorry. I should have waited. Especially with what happened with Happy today-”

 

“What happened with Happy today?” Walter asks, clearly oblivious to everything around him.

 

“You didn’t hear from Sylvester? Happy’s favorite customer slash father figure Allan died. You know the older man who came in everyday at 4 o’clock and always yelled if he couldn’t immediately see Happy?”

 

“Oh yes. They asked me for his address earlier today. I didn’t realize she was upset. I thought she was still mad at Toby.” Walter says.

 

“Look. I’m sorry about our fight earlier. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

 

“You didn’t upset me. I’m fine.” He says, pulling away.

 

“If you say so.” Paige says, giving him a soft smile. “I have to be getting home. It’s almost time for him to go to bed.”

 

“Alright goodnight.” 

 

“Goodnight.”

 

-x-

 

“Happy?” Toby yells, rounding the corner away from the café. “Happy?” He runs back towards her truck. He finds her in the passenger's seat waiting for him. She’s tucked into a ball, staring out the window with tears rolling down her face. She doesn’t turn to him when he calls her name again and hops in next to her.

 

“I just want to go home, Doc.” She whispers quietly. 

 

“Okay.” He says, turning the key and heading to her apartment.

 

He walks her up to her apartment and unlocks the door for her. They walk in and she stands for a minute staring blankly into her living room.

 

“Night Happy. We’ll be-” 

 

She runs and tackles him in a hug. “Please stay. I.. I don’t- I can’t-” She says, her voice muffled in his chest. 

 

“Shhhh. It’s okay. I can stay. I’d stay forever if I was allowed.” He says quietly, moving her to her couch and sitting next to her, arms still wrapped around, with her head on his chest. 

 

She sobs into him. It’s been a long time since she’s cried, especially in front of someone.

“Shhhh sweetheart. I know you guys loved each other, kept each other okay.”

 

She pulls away and stands up quickly. “You don’t get it. No one gets it.” 

 

“Then tell me. Make me understand.” 

 

“It’s not that simple!” She yells. She’s pacing and crying and looking ready to punch something. “Everyone leaves me. No one cares enough to stay. My parents left me. Allan left me. Paige is leaving and taking the kid with her. Everyone is gone. What’s left? Nothing.” She’s shaking. In a quick motion, her fist flies out and punches the wall, leaving a gaping hole.

 

“I’m still here.” He whispers from the couch. 

 

“You’ll leave too. Don’t even try. Everyone leaves me. I’m the monster that makes everyone leave.”

 

“I’m still here. What do you not get about that?” He stands quickly and walks over to her. “I’m here and I’m staying. You are not going to get rid of me. You’re not pushing me away. Ever. So stop thinking that you’re a monster. You are not. You’re an angel. My angel. And I’ll be damned if you don’t think there’s anything left. We are left. And that’s all that matters.” He grips her arm and pulls her closer. “I love you, Happy. Is that not enough?”

 

She draws in a shaky breath, slowly beginning to calm. She pulls him closer and leans her head on his chest. “I’m sorry, Doc. I didn’t mean-” 

 

“I know. I know. It’s been a long day. Let’s get you into bed.” He says, pulling her with him to her bedroom. 

 

“Will you stay?” She asks quietly.

 

“Always.”

 

They lay under the covers, still in their clothes from the day, too tired to even change. Her head rests on his chest, their hands connected over his stomach. He runs a lazy hand through her hair. 

 

He’s almost asleep when he hears it. “I love you Doc.” It’s quiet, like she wanted to say it but didn’t want him to hear.

 

“I love you, too.” He hums quietly back before falling asleep with the love of his life in his arms. 

 

-x-

 

The month passes quickly and too many things happen at once. 

 

Happy never comes back. She’s too mad. At the team. At Paige. There’s no point. It’s done anyway. She gets a job at the local mechanic shop, where she is the happiest Toby has ever seen her. 

 

They are basically living together now. He slowly moves his stuff from his apartment into hers during the day while she’s at work. First, little things, like more clothes and maybe a few books and now his plates are mixed with hers and his shoes are stored at the bottom of her closet.

 

He stops in the café every once in a while but it’s not the same. Happy and Paige are gone and the boys don’t know how to do it on their own. Megan comes as often as she can but her condition is getting worse. Sylvester leaves earlier and earlier every day to spend every moment he can with Megan. Walter is more stressed than ever, wringing his hands and snapping at customers. He’s thinking about going to work with Collins more and more.

 

A few months pass and everyone is gone. Megan tried to hold on for Sylvester for as long as possible but she slowly succumbed to the disease. Every day he tries to come into the shop but every time he sees Walter, he can only see her. He leaves, to New York or Florida, somewhere far away from Los Angeles with a ring on his finger and an empty heart. 

 

With Paige and Megan gone, Walter has no one to keep him together. He begins to fall apart. Cabe can see it every time he comes in. Cabe knows he has to shut this place down. Without Sylvester, Toby, and Happy, and now without Walter, the whole café is too quiet. Customers notice everything is gone and slowly stop coming. They aren’t making as much as they once did. It’s time to close.

 

When Cabe tells Walter this, it becomes a complete destruction. He throws all the plates and cups on the ground, yelling and screaming, “IT’S NOT OVER. IT WILL NEVER BE OVER. YOU CAN’T DO THIS. I TRUSTED YOU.” It finally ends with him upset and running out and into his car. 

Cabe hears later that he got into an accident but miraculously survived. He hadn’t heard from him in years. The last time he saw Walter, he was on the street mumbling quietly with Collins about some kind of time travel. As he walked past, he gently bumped Walter’s shoulder and the kid didn’t even look up. After that, Cabe never saw Walter again.


End file.
